Colorado’s depth forward group is going to be without Zachary L’Heureux for the foreseeable future.
The 23-year-old Avalanche forward has not played since Oct. 10, when Colorado hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he has now gone nearly a month without dressing for a game. Three nights after that outing, L’Heureux was scratched before the matchup with the Dallas Stars because of an upper-body injury. What started as a day-to-day situation later moved to week-to-week, and now the outlook has stretched much further.
He still hasn’t returned to skating as he works through the injury away from the ice.
“It’s long-term, for sure,” head coach Jared Bednar said of L’Heureux’s status. “But I don’t have a timeline on it.”
L’Heureux was placed on long-term injured reserve on Oct. 23, retroactive to Oct. 10. In three games this season, he has one assist and one fighting major.
Colorado brought L’Heureux in on June 24 in a deal with the Nashville Predators, sending Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft the other way. The Avalanche also acquired forward Fedor Svechkov in that trade.
Originally selected No. 27 overall by Nashville in 2021, L’Heureux had already built up a solid NHL resume before the move. He played 87 career NHL games with the Predators, putting up nine goals and 20 points. His rookie season in 2024-25 included five goals and 15 points in 62 games, and he led all rookies with 198 hits.
Last season, he split time between Nashville and the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate. He recorded four goals and an assist in 25 NHL games and added 28 points in 30 AHL appearances.
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